


Catch You When the Current Lets You Go

by Chash



Series: Miss Atomic Bomb [2]
Category: The Song of the Lioness - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, references to underage for Daine and Numair but no actual relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-06 06:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1848289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>George has a confusing few weeks after classes end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch You When the Current Lets You Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sadcypress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadcypress/gifts).



Much as he doesn't want to admit it, George is a little disappointed when the last day of finals comes and goes and Alanna doesn't stop into the Dove to say goodbye. Jon, at least, is graduating, so he'll be back for that, and maybe Alanna is sticking around to attend, but some part of him can't help feeling neglected. He'd thought they were getting close.

So when she sits down at the bar the day after finals end and smiles at him, he's so absurdly relieved that it takes him a minute to notice that she's alone and herself, not dressed up like Alan. She's wearing a _dress_. A sundress, no less, . He tries not to stare.

"Evenin'," he says. "What can I get you?"

"Just Coke," she says, ducking her head. Her hair slides over her shoulder and George's fingers itch to push it back. He's got it so bad.

"Just Coke?" he repeats, surprised.

"I forgot my ID," she says, with a pointed look that takes him a minute to parse. Then he starts laughing.

"When's your birthday?" he asks, when he recovers.

"Next week."

George shakes his head and fills up a glass. "I always knew that was a fake." He'd assumed the first time he met her that she wasn't twenty-one, as tiny as she was, but her ID was perfect. He couldn't find a single thing to prove it wasn't real. And she was a junior anyway, so he'd assumed she turned twenty-one sometime during the year. "Alone tonight?" With most of the students gone, he's not too concerned about anyone recognizing her, but there's no reason to be obvious and bring up Jon.

"The frat is taking a trip before the senior celebration stuff starts up," she says, drawing patterns in the side of her glass with a fingertip. "They're getting wasted on a beach somewhere."

"Too bad for you." He considers and adds, "Thought you left without sayin' goodbye."

Alanna's mouth twists up; it's not quite a smile, but it's close. "I never go home for summer vacation. That long with my father? You couldn't pay me enough. I'm working for Professor Olau in the history department, and I'll still be in the coffee shop on Thursdays and Saturdays."

George can't hold his smile back. "Is that so?" he says. A group of girls flags him down at the other end of the bar, and he makes them a round of shots with a wink before he goes back to Alanna, who's frowning into her Coke. "Are the others comin' back for your birthday?"

"No, not until after. We'll probably celebrate it and graduation for a straight week, knowing them."

George nods. "Your brother still here?"

"Visiting home," she says, making a face. "He still puts in the token effort."

"Pity. Shouldn't be all alone on your birthday."

He says it casually, but Alanna sees right through him. She rolls her eyes. "I was going to ask if you were free, yes. You don't have to beat around the point all the time, you know."

George laughs. "All part of my charm, darlin'. Now, just tell me what day it is so I can get off work and take you out somewhere proper."

*

The girl who opens Alanna's door on her birthday is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen in his life. George is rarely tongue-tied, but it takes him a minute to recover. Once he does, he gives her a smile and extends his hand, "Evenin', I'm George Cooper, I'm here to pick up Alanna."

The girl doesn't look particularly impressed, and she probably shouldn't be. Looking like that, she's probably had men much handsomer than George trying to charm her all her life. "Thayet," she says, her voice musical and slightly accented. "She's still getting ready." She opens the door to let him in, and George scopes out the dorm. Alanna told him she and her freshman roommate were staying together in one of the nicer dorms for the summer, and it does look better than the few other rooms he's seen. There's enough room that they've unbunked the beds, and there are large windows letting in sunlight.

One of Alanna's coworkers from the coffee shop is reading a comic book on the far bed, and he raises his hand to wave. "Buri, yeah?"

"Hi, Alanna's stalker," she says, nodding to him.

"I don't think it's stalkin' if she invites me over."

"No," Buri says. "Just when you repeatedly come to her place of employment."

"Well, she started that one." He glances back at Thayet. "Are you ladies joinin' us tonight?" He wouldn't mind, in theory--Buri's cool, and he's sure Thayet's fun too--but he'd rather have time with just Alanna.

Buri makes a face. "No, I'm nineteen," she says. "And my fake ID isn't as good as Alanna's. You should get your friend Gary to make me one!" she calls toward a door he hadn't noticed. Apparently they have a bathroom, too. This might be nicer than his apartment.

The door opens and Alanna comes out. She's in a dress again, purple to match her eyes, and George loses another minute staring. "You can ask Gary, he'll do anything for a pretty face. Just tell him he can watch you and Thayet make out."

Thayet makes a face and flops down on the bed next to Buri. "I'm not touching her anywhere near your frat friends. They were creepy enough the last time."

Alanna laughs and grabs a bag. It occurs to George that this is only the second time he's seen her dressed as herself, not wearing her work uniform or boys' clothes. He wonders what she wears when she's relaxing, when she goes to class--he wonders what she's like the rest of the time. "Hey, darlin'," he says, when she sees him. "You're makin' me feel under-dressed."

She rolls her eyes and pulls on a pair of flats. "You look very nice, George," she tells him. "Thanks for taking me out tonight."

"I didn't know Buri wanted to come," he says. "I could've picked somewhere that didn't card."

"Yeah, I didn't want to go," says Buri. "I'm here to hang out with my girlfriend while her roommate is gone. We can celebrate Alanna's birthday later."

Alanna laughs. "I'm so glad you have your priorities straight," she says, and smiles at George. "Are you ready?"

He holds the door open and gestures her through. "After you. Have a good night, ladies," he adds, to Buri and Thayet. "Thayet seems nice," he tells Alanna, as they start walking.

"She is. I thought I was going to hate her. She's so--" she laughs. "I've never been any good with makeup or anything like that, Thayet looked like all those girls I could never be like in high school. Only even more beautiful. But we have a lot in common. Her father's an asshole too."

"A great thing for bondin'," George says solemnly. "Oh, and I forgot to say happy birthday. Happy birthday."

"Thanks. Are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

"We're going to have dinner and then we're going to go dancing. Time for you to use your real ID." He glances at her. "Gary made the fake one? It was good. I knew it couldn't be real, but I couldn't prove it."

"What made you think it wasn't real?" Alanna asks, offended.

George grins. "You're tiny and it looks like you've never had to shave a day in your life," he says, poking her chin. She swats him off and he lets his arm drape over her shoulders instead. "I thought you were in high school."

"And you were still flirting with me," she remarks. "Quite a dirty old man."

"I love shrimp," says George, grinning, and Alanna groans and elbows him, but not hard enough to push him away.

*

George's favorite cousin, Rispah, works at a club called Port Caynn, and she's been pestering him to meet the boy who has him so twisted up for a while. He hasn't had the chance to clarify Alanna's gender situation with her, but now seems to be as good a time as any. Alanna needs some drinks and some dancing.

"I'm a terrible dancer," she tells him, when she sees the club.

"You'll be fine," he says. "Just have a few drinks. Everyone can dance after a few drinks." He looks askance at her. "My cousin still thinks you're a boy."

She frowns. "Do I know your cousin?"

"Nah, I just talk about you a lot." She glances at him sharply; he just smiles. "She's been wantin' to meet you."

"Will she be disappointed I'm a girl?"

"I doubt she'll care. We don't need to give her the whole story, either. We're very easy-goin' in my family."

It isn't too busy yet, which George had been hoping for. He doesn't think crowded nightclubs are really Alanna's scene--there's a reason she spent most of her time at the Dancing Dove hanging out talking to the bartender, and, sadly, he doesn't think it's because she likes him so much. 

Rispah's behind the bar and waves him over as soon as she spots him, although he sees a flicker of confusion on her face when she spots Alanna. "Who's your friend?" she asks, not even bothering with a greeting.

"This is Alan!" says George, shouting a little to be heard over the music. "It turns out he's a girl!"

As expected, she takes it in stride. "Only you, George." To Alanna, she adds, "Nice to meet you, Alan! I'm Rispah. I've heard a lot about you."

"It's Alanna," she says, smiling. "All good, I hope?"

Rispah rolls her eyes. "Worshipful. She's very cute, George. What are you drinking? First round's on the house."

*

They hang out by the bar for a while, chatting with Rispah until some of the guys milling around decide Alanna and George aren't _together_ and start buying her drinks and asking her to dance. George is willing to take a step back--he's made his interest clear, and now he can step off unless she makes hers equally clear--and he even enjoys it a little, in a wistful way. She looks relaxed and happy, and he thinks this must be the real her.

He's talking to Rispah and some guy at the bar about molecular gastronomy for reasons he's not totally clear on when Alanna comes back and knocks her shoulder against his with a smile. "Where did you go?"

"Lettin' your admirers get you drinks and fawn over you," he says. "You aren't goin' to dance?"

"Not with them," she says, taking his arm. "I want to dance with you."

Rispah laughs at his look of surprise, but Alanna's already dragging him onto the dance floor. They find a spot and that's where she runs out of steam, frowning a little and clearly trying to figure out what to do with her hands. George laughs and guides her arms around his neck, leaning down a little so it's not too much of a stretch for her. He settles his own hands on her hips and starts them swaying.

"You can't dance either!" Alanna says, triumphant.

"Not goin' to try anything too complicated," he says, smiling. "Don't want you sprainin' anything." He tugs her a little closer. "And everyone knows dancin' at clubs is just an excuse to--"

Alanna must already know it's just an excuse, because she leans up and kisses him, off-center and fumbling, and George's brain shorts out for a minute with disbelief and happiness.

Then it comes back, and he catches her jaw with his hand, lines them up a little better and deepens the kiss, and it's perfect.

They drink a little more and dance a little more and make out a lot more, and when they make it back to George's place they fool around like teenagers and before passing out, Alanna stretched out against him, fitting just right against his side.

And then, in the morning, she's gone.

*

"Do I send flowers?"

Eleni rolls her eyes. "Flowers?"

" _Sorry if I took advantage_ flowers?"

"I don't know why I keep suggesting this when you never listen to me, but I think you should just talk to her."

George sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "Leavin' before I wake up is a pretty clear message."

She hits him lightly on the head. "It is not. It could mean all kinds of things. She could have had somewhere to go. She might not have wanted to deal with you hungover. You should find her, and tell her you were hopin' to see her, and ask her to have dinner with you. As a date. I know you weren't raised in a barn."

George rubs the back of his neck. "Sounds so reasonable when you put it like that."

She pats him on the hand. "I know how much you like her. It's scary to tell someone that. But you really should, or she won't know. And you'll regret that."

*

George sticks around at Ma's for dinner and doesn't have time to even think about trying to talk to Alanna before his shift. But a few hours in she shows up, still dressed as a girl in a t-shirt and jeans, trailed by Numair, who he's met a couple times at the coffee shop.

"Evenin'," he says, trying to keep his voice steady. He has no idea what's happening.

"Hi," says Alanna, with no hint of awkwardness. She thumps Numair on the back. "He's just had some bad news."

George raises his eyebrows. If she can act normal, so can he. "Have you now?"

Numair sighs dramatically. George knows he's an insanely smart biologist who's already famous and successful without even having finished his PhD, but he's also a completely ridiculous person. George likes him a lot.

"His underage crush is actually underage," says Alanna, when Numair doesn't follow up on his sighing.

"She skipped a grade in high school," he says. "She's turning eighteen in a few months. And eighteen is still creepy?" he asks Alanna.

"George?" she says. "You're the expert on flirting with people you think are in high school."

"I didn't think that for long," George says. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-five," says Numair.

"Half your age plus seven is the rule," says George. "So nineteen. If you round down."

Numair groans and thunks his head on the bar.

"I thought he needed a drink," Alanna says, smiling at George. 

George smiles back, automatically. "I think he does at that. What's your poison, Numair?"

"Hemlock," says Numair, without lifting his head. "Like Socrates."

"Better make it a double," says Alanna.

*

It's not too busy, so Solom tells George to go spend time with his friends around midnight. He and Alanna listen to Numair talk about how Daine is, apparently, amazing and perfect and definitely seems _way_ older than seventeen. The two of them make comforting noises at him and roll their eyes at each other, and it's strangely fun. A lot of George's friends have left town--or been imprisoned, in the case of his _old_ friends--and he hasn't just hung out and shot the shit in a while.

Closing time rolls around, and George waves Solom away. "Don't worry about it," he says. "I'll close up."

"Oh god, is it really that late?" asks Numair. "I'm taking campers on a wilderness hike tomorrow. I have to go."

"Buck up," says Alanna, patting his shoulder.

"Daine will also be on the wilderness hike. She's good with animals. She once nursed a squirrel back to health and kept it for a pet."

"Have a lot of water," says George. "And advil in the morning. And wait until she turns eighteen. At least eighteen."

Numair staggers out, and it's just George and Alanna. He's warm and pleasantly buzzed and knows he should want to talk to her, but she's been acting like nothing happened, and it's hard to convince himself it's worth it to bring it up. Maybe it wasn't anything to her.

"What do you need to do to close?" Alanna asks, hopping up to sit on the bar.

"Wipe down where you're sitting," says George dryly. He tweaks her nose. "Why, are you going to help?"

Alanna reaches up and fists her hand in his shirt, pulling him in. "Not at all," she says, and kisses him.

"Alanna--" he starts, but he's not having any luck pulling away. "Darlin'--" Her fingers are fumbling with the buttons on his shirt, and he helps her, getting them undone and shrugging it off. "What are you doin'?" he asks, between kisses.

"You don't want to?" she asks, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"That's a loaded question," George murmurs, pulling off her t-shirt. "'Course I want to."

"Good," she says. "Me too."

*

George goes to the coffee shop the next morning and they chat like friends who have never seen each other naked, and that night, Jon and the rest of the frat are back, so when she shows up at the Dancing Dove, she's Alan again. George cards her just so he can examine her fake ID. He still can't find a flaw; Gary's as smug as anything.

"Hey," he says, catching her before she leaves. "I'm not working tomorrow." She looks blank, and he says, "Do you want to come over?"

Her smirk goes directly to his dick, which isn't exactly helpful. "I'd love to."

He spends the morning on the phone with his mother, trying to figure out if he can cook something for her. Eleni laughs for about five minutes straight and then brings him a ton of groceries, and between the two of them they manage a lasagna. He has no idea if Alanna wants to be his girlfriend, but if she doesn't, maybe a lasagna will convince her.

He says as much to his mother. She pats him on the shoulder and says, "I tried so hard, you know?"

George grins. "I love you too, Ma."

Alanna shows up at six and greets him with a very dirty kiss, which is great except--

"Alanna," he says, pulling back with an effort. She frowns. "I, uh--not that I want you to stop or anythin'," he says, voice coming out gruff. "But I need to know if this is all I'm going to get."

She frowns, looking confused. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm real glad you decided you want to kiss me and all. And I don't mind waitin' if you don't want to be in a relationship right now. But that's what I want, and I need to know if that's somethin' I might get someday."

She blinks rapidly, like she's trying to process what he said. Which he didn't think was that complicated. "But you--" She frowns. "I thought you just--you _want_ to date me?"

It's about the last thing he expected her to say, and he's so stunned she didn't know that he can't figure out how to respond. "I made you lasagna," is what he finally comes up with. "I had my ma come and help."

Alanna's smile is slow and shy, almost embarrassed. "I thought you were just flirting. That you did it with all the girls. And boys."

"That would be a lot of flirtin'," says George. She gives him a dubious look, and he smiles. "Alright, I do a lot of flirtin'. But not like I do with you."

"You flirt with everyone at the bar. It's your job. I thought you probably--" She cuts herself off. There's some meaning in that pause, something George hasn't learned yet "I didn't think you wanted anything more."

George slides his hand into her hair, leans down to kiss her long and sweet. When he pulls back, her eyes are still closed, and he smiles. "I want everything," he says. "Come have dinner."

*

They're curled up on the couch together, Alanna tucked into his side, watching some cooking competition show after dinner, when she says, "It was Jon."

"Hm?" he asks.

"I know you want to know, and you'll never just come out and _ask_ , you'll just wait until I break and tell you, so I'm just doing it now to save us both the trouble. I didn't know back when we were in high school, how Jon was. He flirts with everyone and he likes sex, but I thought he--" she bites her lip, like she's picking at an old scar, and George tugs her in closer. "Jon adores me, but he never wanted to date me." George adores Jon too, but he kind of wants to punch him right now. He kisses her hair instead, and she smiles. "He told me I was being stupid, thinking sex was all _you_ were looking for. And that he had been stupid to give me up, but he was sixteen. Everyone's stupid when they're sixteen. It would have been a very sweet pep talk if Raoul and Alex hadn't been having a drinking contest behind us."

George laughs. "He was very stupid. I can't say as I mind right now."

She laughs too, although it's a little shaky. "It would have been a disaster if I dated Jon. We would've murdered each other."

"And we couldn't have that." He strokes his hand up her back. "Think you're goin' to murder me?"

"I don't know," says Alanna, snuggling against him. "I guess we'll find out."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic of] Catch You When the Current Lets You Go](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2392757) by [knight_tracer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knight_tracer/pseuds/knight_tracer)




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